Explanation:
The
Sleeping Beauty
galaxy
may appear peaceful at first sight but it is actually tossing and turning.
In an unexpected twist, recent observations have shown that the centre of
this photogenic
galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction
than the outer regions! Stranger still - there is a middle region
where the stars rotate in the opposite direction from the surrounding
dust
and
gas.
The fascinating internal motions of
M64, also catalogued as NGC
4826, are thought to be the result of a
collision between a
small galaxy
and a
large galaxy - where the resultant mix has not
yet settled down.